By a Crown Heights resident

In recent years, the ties between the Crown Heights community and the neighboring frum communities have grown stronger and stronger. We have been on good terms and have been able to work together. Many Yidden from other communities have joined Chabad in spreading Chassidus, and they enjoy going to Chabad houses when they travel.

The Yidden in nearby communities have been very successful in tapping into various government programs to help their fellow large frum communities nearby. As a result, they have been making a large profit from providing these services.

Yet, for some reason, when it comes to serving the Crown Heights community, these same chassidim fail to provide services that are up to the frum standards of our community.

A couple of years ago, ODA moved into Crown Heights and bought out a local doctor’s office, creating almost a complete monopoly on frum medical services here in Crown Heights. They had a grand opening with the impression that they would hold themselves to high frum standards. ODA has branches in almost every large frum community in New York State. In all other communities, the ODA offices run according to halacha and the minhagim appropriate for their community standards.

Recently, a woman in our community needed medical attention of a sensitive nature. She called ODA to make an appointment, specifically requesting a female physician, and told the receptionist the reason for the visit. She was told she would be squeezed in for a same-day appointment.

Expecting to receive sensitive care, given that this is a frum doctor’s office in a frum community, she was shocked and uncomfortable when a chassidish bochur wearing a white shirt and a beard called her into the room, closed the door – following ODA Crown Heights’s policy – and asked her for the reason for her visit. He asked her for some basic medical history and took her vitals. He also asked her if she had recently taken a sensitive female medical test.

It was surprising to us that a bochur would be assisting a woman who had made an appointment specifically for a female physician, so we did some research. We found that both secular and frum medical institutions in other frum communities pride themselves on providing sensitive female-to-female care among office staff, nurses, and doctors. Some doctors’ offices will not even allow husbands past a certain point in the office.

Moreover, at ODA in other communities, the policy is not to close the door when a male doctor is with a female patient. But in Crown Heights, the policy is to close the door.

We called ODA Williamsburg and spoke to one of the chassidishe women employed there. We described what happened, and she was shocked. She said that this is not at all the level of female care that takes place in Williamsburg. We asked her for contact information for the manager at the ODA Crown Heights center, and she gave us his phone number.

We called the manager to arrange a meeting. We were advised to meet with him together with a local kallah teacher, who told us that she had previously tried meeting with him regarding similar matters but was not successful in getting what she wanted from him. Clearly, we were not the first to complain about the frum standards of care at ODA Crown Heights.

We came into the ODA office for an in-person meeting with the manager, Michael. We walked into the office and asked him if we could discuss something. He said, “Tell me quickly.” I asked him again to please sit down so we could discuss this properly, after which he reluctantly sat down. I described what happened at the doctor’s visit and the insensitive care received.

I asked him why he employs local bochurim and why the policy at ODA Crown Heights is different from that in other frum communities. I tried to explain why it is important to provide sensitive care to patients. I told him that patients will be reluctant to seek important medical care if they are not treated nicely and sensitively, and according to community standards, which could potentially be very detrimental to their health.

He answered me, “It’s your fault. You have to demand the care that you want. If you want a female or a male, you have to insist on it when you are called in.” I explained to him that when a patient comes sick, they often don’t have the strength to make an issue, but he said again, “It’s your fault.”

I also gave Michael some small suggestions regarding these matters, and he said he cannot implement them because it would “slow down business.”

We also reached out to a number of influential community members, kallah teachers, rabbonim, the Vaad Hakohol, and people in the medical field in Crown Heights.

We called the office staff to see if we could place a note in the medical file stating that this patient always wants a female to call her in. We were told that this would not help because the people who call in patients do not see the medical files. Patients must demand a male or female each time they come into the office.

The manager also confirmed at the meeting that ODA policy is always to close the door during appointments when someone comes into the room. This is not the level of Hilchos Yichud generally practiced in other communities.

Walking out of the meeting, we felt stepped on, abused, and disrespected.

When they provide services to their own communities, all services are provided to the highest standards of halacha and minhag, as is expected for their community standards. It seems that they think the Crown Heights community does not care to uphold these same standards.

The community activists we spoke with said that they had also tried to reach out to influential members connected to ODA and were not successful in bringing about any change.

We would like to recommend that when going for an appointment involving sensitive care, one should not go alone. Consider this office as you would a secular office and advocate for yourself to ensure that you receive the care you deserve. Know that you have the right to deny care from anyone you are not comfortable with. If you want a female, you must specifically ask for it.

If you are uncomfortable with the aide, tell them that you will discuss all medical matters with the doctor, and that you do not have to disclose the reason for your visit or any medical information to the aide.

This story is not an isolated incident. This type of care happens to many adult patients at ODA Crown Heights. If anyone has influence with the higher-ups at ODA and can help make changes in the above areas, the community would be very happy to see ODA Crown Heights providing the same standard of care as ODA in other communities.

As we know, this is not a chesed organization; it is a business that makes a lot of money while providing below-standard care. We do not know why, but the managers at ODA seem to think that the residents of Crown Heights do not care about these issues. We must demand change.